Chapter 9
Scarlet Macaw Reintroduction Project
gaia hotel and reserve
Boris Marchegiani
I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars
how not to dance.
E.E. Cummings
“This property had scarlet macaws before,” says Boris Marchegiani of Gaia Hotel
and Reserve. He is somewhat reverent as he recounts how the birds were present
in the former wildlife refuge center that existed there when he first bought the
property, but were transferred to the town of Silencio farther south before the
present hotel was developed. With the development of the current reintroduction
program, those very same birds have finally come home.
Scarlet macaw at the Gaia Reserve
©2014 Kevin Heslin Photography
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Evelyn Gallardo
It all began with a conversation in a bar when local Erik Stadler suggested to
Boris that it would be great to see macaws in the area again. It got Boris thinking.
“I have a tendency to take thoughts and turn them into reality!” he laughs. He
made a call to a friend who was involved in the care of the region’s wildlife and
an amazing convergence of circumstances occurred. The friend had in fact been
looking for somewhere to start another reintroduction program, because existing
breeding stocks were beginning to suffer from a lack of genetic diversity. What they
wanted though was someone they knew to oversee the project — someone like
Boris. “It shouldn’t have happened,” Boris says, shaking his head at the amazing
coincidence of it all. “The probabilities of it happening were zero.”
Soon Gaia was preparing for its special guests. Boris knew it wasn’t going
to be easy, despite reassurances to the contrary. “When they say that things are
easy, it means watch out, because they are really complicated and expensive!”
He envisioned a small cage to begin with but that quickly became a large cage,
and a smaller cage within it and a trapdoor… it all added up! There was also the
rehabilitation of the birds themselves.
Each macaw has to be very carefully checked over by a specialist veterinarian.
The birds at Gaia have come from four different regions and can have a variety of
illnesses or conditions which could threaten them or the rest of the wild population
if they went untreated. Boris ensures they are appropriately quarantined and cared
for until they can join the rest of the birds and find a partner for release. That
aspect is important as their mate helps them find food, preen and nest. “We try
to get them paired up. They are basically monogamous,” Boris says.
Boris and his team also teach them basic survival skills. “They don’t know
how to defend themselves out there,” he says. “They don’t even know what to
eat in the wild.” The handlers teach the birds things they need to survive, from
flying to handling food. They also teach them that it’s dangerous for them to go
down to the forest floor by putting all the food up high and using a cage floor
with holes in it. That way the birds won’t go down to the floor to pick up food
they have dropped. “They know if they have dropped it, it’s gone,” Boris explains.
“That stays marked in their heads — if you dropped it, don’t go looking for it.”
Boris has enlisted community support to help feed nature’s avian rainbow.
“What we need most is fruit,” says Boris. He has not only provided locals with
a list of fruit the macaws eat — he sends a Gaia van to pick up food donations.
They also ensure only properly uniformed keepers interact with the birds.
Since they have been raised in captivity, it would be too easy for them to become
tame — a dangerous thing for such valuable animals. “We don’t want them to
think that just any human is going to be good to them,” Boris says. “If anybody
else walks in there, they create havoc.”
It seems like a great deal of effort, but Boris is committed to the work.
Several birds have already been released in the Manuel Antonio region. “These
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animals are truly grandiose,” says Boris. He recognizes the challenges ahead too.
“It’s not easy and it’s a very expensive process,” he says. The plan is to release about
seventy to eighty scarlet macaws in total, at which point the project will switch
to another type of bird. “We’re going to continue reintroducing bird species that
were endemic to this zone and have disappeared.”
Boris’ enthusiasm is contagious as he talks about the majestic birds in his
care. “Maybe someday, you will see a scarlet macaw flying in the sky,” he says
with a grin. “and I’ll have a great big smile on my face!”
It’s this kind of spirit for preserving nature that flows through town like a
Class 5 white water rapid.
Scarlet Macaw Facts:
• The scarlet macaw is known to live up to 80 years in captivity and
approximately 40-50 years in the wild.
• According to scientists, scarlet macaws have the intelligence of a 4-8 year
old child and the emotional intelligence of a 2 year old. Like their “Terrible
Twos” human counterparts, they can be demanding and grouchy and even
throw temper tantrums if not given proper attention!
• Scarlet macaws have brilliantly colored red, green, yellow and blue. This
helps them to blend into their natural habitat in the rainforest.
• They weighing about 2.2 pounds (1 kilo).
• They have a wingspan of over 3 feet (1 meter).
• They are the largest parrots in the world.
• The scarlet macaw generally mates for life. The female usually lays 1 to
4 eggs and both male and females share parenting duties.
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